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Once these things are established, an adviser will research to find and build a suitable investment portfolio.

They will also help you avoid the sort of mistakes that bedevil self-investors – such as blindly following the market, selling at the wrong time, or wearing the wrong socks with brown shoes.

Other ways an adviser can help you with investment

Helping you decide whether to invest in shares, unit trusts and other investments.

Deciding whether you should use an active management or passive management strategy. Actively managed investment funds are run by professional managers or investment research teams who make the investment decisions. Passive investment funds are essentially run by computer and will simply track a market. They charge less in fees.

Explaining the risks associated with each investment – that your money can go down, as well as up.

Projecting the expected rate of return you might receive from your portfolio.

Highlighting the amount of taxable income your investments will generate and rearranging your portfolio to be as tax-efficient as possible.

Offering more choice. Depending on the type of adviser you use, you may have access to a wider range of investments than you’d be able to find on your own.

Ready to find out what an adviser can do for your investments? Ask your adviser, if you have one. If not you can find one using our tool here.

Kara Gammell

Journalist

Kara Gammell is an award-winning financial journalist. She has written regularly for a number of national newspapers and magazines, including the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, Guardian and Observer. Her first book Your Best Friend's Guide to Cash: Eight things every woman needs to know about money was published by Harriman House in December 2014. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, Kara lives in West Sussex with her husband, young daughter and two elderly rescue cats.